The government has
finally undertaken a Tk 120 million project to make all the yards of
ship-breaking and recycling industry on Sitakunda seashore with non-permeable
floor under a grant from NORAD and IMO.
Under the project,
the Norwegian Agency for Development Corporation (NORAD) and International
Maritime Organisation (IMO) would extend financial and technical support to
make the ship-breaking yards more durable, with treatment storage disposal
facility (TSDF) in line with the TSDF system introduced in the shipyards of
Turkey within next two to three years.
If implemented, it
would help improve the environment at ship-breaking yards, make the yards safe
for workers, improve waste reception facility, procurement of watercrafts for
seaward pollution control and garbage cleaning crafts/barges and set up a
hospital with total support system.
Leaders of
Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association said a delegation comprising
representatives from BSBA, senior government officials from the Ministry of
Industries, Economic Relations Division (ERD), labour and manpower, environment
department and explosive department recently visited Turkey to share experience
with its ship recyclers.
The delegation
members included BSBA president MA Taher, BSBA executive member and managing
director PHP Ship Breaking Yard Zahirul Islam Rinku, joint secretaries of
industries ministry Yasmeen Sultana and Ziaur Rahman Khan, Saleha Binte Siraj
of ERD, ABM Sirajul Huq of labour and manpower, Moqbul Hossain of environment
department and Tofazzal Hossain of explosives department.
They had an
elaborate discussion on the implementation of the TSD facilities with the
Turkey government officials at their Maritime Ministry, owners of ship breaking
yards and director general of the coastal department, BSBA officials said.
Non-governmental
organizations working at Bangladesh ship breaking yards allege that the yards
on Sitakunda seacoast are polluting the villages and neighbouring areas as they
don’t strictly adhere to the environmental laws and many workers have died due
to non-use of safety equipment by the workers and absence of training.
The ship breakers
said the ship-breaking industry is committed to support proper use of personal
protective equipment (PPE) through training and awareness programmes in course
of time and a lot has improved now as yard owners have engaged themselves in a
battle to fight out negative image of the industry with adequate support from
the government.
Following those
image building steps of BSBA’s new leadership, the ambassadors of different
European countries have recently visited a good number of yards and have
suggested improving the situation in the country’s thriving ship-breaking
industry, said MA Taher, president of BSBA.
He told the FE
today that European Parliament member Jean Lambard also visited the
ship-breaking yards at Sitakunda, praised the industry as a very potential
sector and invited the representatives of BSBA to visit the European Parliament
in Brussels of Belgium.
BSBA executive
member and secretary of the BSBA Foreign Affairs Committee Zahirul Islam Rinku
went to Brussels and gave a clear picture on the compliance issues and safety
measures taken in the sector over last few years.
Mr. ZI Rinku said
BSBA has signed a contract with a foreign consulting firm – Creative Consultant
– for providing training to the trainers and workers at the shipyards at
Sitakunda with the financial support of the Royal Dutch Embassy.
The yard directors,
yard managers, safety officers, management representatives, foremen, cutter men
and others of at least 30 yards (member yards of BSBA) participated in the
ongoing course.
He said
ship-breaking and recycling industry is playing a vital role in meeting
internal needs of iron goods, flourishing the shipbuilding industry, generating
huge employments and helping the infrastructure development, booming of
re-rolling mills, small cottage and other allied industries which have been
significantly contributing to our national economy.
Source: Hellenic shipping
news. 10 November 2015
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